Building-block construction



. s, @Manuel ffac'heao abbina,

Joao P. 51311111011 Filed Feb. 9, 1924 J. P. SIMMONS ET AL BUILDING BLOCK CONSTRUCTION Dec. 22 1925- `Patented ec. 22, 1925.

Joor. simmons, ANDelvLAn-EL o.- PAGHECQ or NEW BEDFORD, MAssAcrrUsE'rTs.

Application, iledebruary,4 1924, Serial No. 691,659.`

To all whomz' may concern.'

Be ift-.known that .loo P. SIMMoNs and MANUEL C. Pacrrnoo, citizens ofthe United States, residingatllew Bedford, in they 5.acounty. of New Bedford ,andA State ofMassachusetts,` have invented certain new` and useful Improvements in Building-Block` Constructions, of which the` followingy is a speciiyieation.

The invention has for an object to effect animprovement vin building blocks and particularly those adapted to be cast .in concrete andnowso .generally used for they erection of masonryfwalls.` Av particular ainiof the l inventicn is to provide a block which; `will be especially proof against dampnessby reason .of its structural form, when incorporated in a wall.- A1- further aim is to giveanovel construction in which heat insulation ,will bereffected It is also anwaijm to insure the wall against dampness at 'the innjer face by provision ,of air spaces ,by which the, capillary` transmission l of moisture will Abe minimized, as well as ventilationtefected by which the dampness or water maybeevaporated, if necessary, as` mightv be. foundadvisable where a retaining wall is erectedgin .a damp situation. It is a furtherimportant aim to soconstructthe-block that in the; applica- .tionof mortar upon `courses, thereof,r an interlockinglreying orlinking, eifect will be developed between the ends of mutually adjacent blocks..-

It fis an important 1purposeof the invention to Agivea blocktwhich will have the advantage of one havinghorizontal upper and.lo`wer faces, with regard i; to, stability during. erection of la wall andithereaftenand which ,will also have` the effectf shedding or preventing `,ingress of fwater at thelthori'- zontal joints.

Additional objects, advantagesl and fea-.- tures of invention reside inthe structural relation. of the elements ofithe. block, and theco-action of such blocks when` utilized in a wall, as will be readily understoodfrom the following description and accompanying drawing,'inwhich, A

Figure lis a fragmentary elevational view of a wall constructed in accordance with our invention, with parts broken away to show sections of the blocks, on the lines a and b, respectively, of Figure 2, as indicated at czy and t in the elevation.

Figure 2 a cross section a wall constructed with our block on the line 2 2 yof Figurer.

Figure 3 is a top view of one ofthe blocks,

Figui-e4: is an end elevation thereof,

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the blocks,

Eigureiis a possible modification of the form of the top and bottom of the block, as viewed in Figure 4:.

Figure 7 is a similar view of afurther modification showing, also the `mortar joint between two superposed blocks.

Figure 8 is an end view of alblockshowing still further modification in cross sectional orm.

There is illustrated a .block 10, preferably in the form of an oblongfrectanglelas viewed in pla-n, and in the particular instance illustrated being twice as long as itfis wide. The block includes a right .side or front `face 11, and a, back or inner face 12. The top of the block is formed with a rear` ilatfpartl, While thefront part of the top is offset there below, forming a, verticalrectilinear shoulder 14.` extending longitudinally ofthe block alittle to the rearof the medial line thereon, thefront top portion 15 being sloped :from the shoulderlt to the front face 11. The bottom of the block` is correspondingly formed so that it may set snugly upon the top of a similar block, excepting that the horizontal rear part 16 is slightly wider from front to rearthan the slopingpart of the `bottom of the block, indicated at 17, the shoulder 18 therebetween corresponding to the shoulder llibeing .located a little to the front of a medial line on the bottom of the block. This L allows a space between the shoulders of superposed blocks, toaccomo datemortar, aswill be `readily understood. Themends'of the blocks are vertical, so that when the blocks are viewed from, front or rear they present,arectangula-r form. In the rear` 'part of the `bloclrand opening on the ats'at top and bottom there arevertical bores or passages 19 `equally spaced longitudinallyin a series lparallel to the back face'22, `while in the ends of the block,A alined with'thse passages'there are formed semicylindrical recesses 20 in a relation to form a continuation of the series when similar blocks abut. Arranged in staggered relation with the passages 19, similar passages 21 are formed in the front portion of the block, in a series parallel to the front face 11, and

from the end passages 2l in the block, slots 22 open on the end faces of the block eX- tending the full height of the blo-ck.

In the use of this form of block usual masonry methods are' followed in the main. Two methods may be followed as to breaking joints in the laying of courses, one of which is illustrated in Figure 1, which consist-s of laying a course of the blocks so that the end of one will fall adjacent the center of one ofthe passages 19 in the rear part of the lower course, as dotted at the left of the center in Figure 3. If desired, however, the joints of oney course may aline with the middle of the block in adjacent courses, in which event the body portion of theblock 'between the passages will aline with the passages of superposed blocks. In the laying of mortar, as is Vwell understood, the keying effect produced when a block is set in the mortar will result in the key port-ion extending through the slot 22 and integrally within the respective passages 21 thereadjacent, so that theblocks in a course are held together longitudinally somewhat better than would be the case in blocks which have merely plain surfaces abutting at the vBythe method illustrated in lFigures 1 and 2, the wall permits the running of water pipes or steam pipes vertically in the wall when desired.

As is well understood in the art of building masonry walls, occasional openings are left in joints by reason of vinsufficient mortar; and by reason of the inclination of the outer part'of the blocks, as at 15 and 17, gravity will prevent seepage of water through Vsuch interstices in walls constructed with my block. Y

The shoulder 14. is also instrumental in preventing entrance of water to a large extent by actingas a dam confining to the outer parts of the wall any excessive amount of water which may gain access thereto, as might occurfthrough al vertical joint, and also serves as a material aid in` strengthening the wall against collapse from lateral pressure.

It may be found desirable to utilize the shoulder 14 without the inclined upper and lower surfaces on the block outwardly thereof, and making both parts of the top and bot-tom horizontal, as indicated in Figure 6. Also, as shown in Figure 7, it may be found desirable to form the shoulder 14 exactly on the medial line of the block, so that in placing one upon another .in 2L Walhthe lower shoulder 18a will engage directly against the shoulder 14a, and thus aid in alining the courses and making better accuracy in fitting, without excessive expenditure of time.

- In Figure 8 there is illustratedv a further size, so as to readily accommodate a certain amount of mortar over the rib in the joint between two superposed blocks.

It is an advantage of our invention also that while affording the usual advantages 'of a cored block in heat insulation and dryness, and while permitting the provision of the water-blocking element 14, the block also has great load sustaining strength, and will be found to obviate the need Vfor filling cored` openings with concrete as has been done with many forms of concrete `blocks Vat present in some situations. cored Vpart is of great strength in itself. This will improve the performance ofthe block in resisting fire damage. der 14; with the inner top surface continued therefrom is not very liable to breakage and in the event that a considerable part should be broken away, the 'waterblocking effect will not be destroyed owing tothe `cont-inuation of the remainderof the top at the same elevation. Y Y

What is claimed Y 2 A building block comprising inner and outer integral sections each having a llongitudinally arranged series of vertical passages therethrough in equal spaced relation, the passages of one section being in staggered relation to those in the other, slots of less The central un- The shoul-' diameter than the passages and opening on the -top and bottom of the blocks being formed at each end of the block forming communication between respective passages and the ends of the block, and being of a width to permit the formation of a substan- JOO P. SIMMONS. MANUEL C. PACHECO. 

